1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to ramps and more particularly to a foldable vehicle wheel chair ramp which can be deployed, swung out of the way, and stowed in a vehicle, by means of a ramp mounting with mutually perpendicular alternative pivot axes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many possibilities known for ramps and lifts to enable wheel chair users to traverse obstacles such as vertical steps. However, the ramps and lifts are very substantial structures and in themselves present obstacles to others. Permanent ramps and lifts are known for buildings and stowable ones are known for intermittent use, such as for entering or leaving a vehicle. In vehicles, a common means of access to and from the vehicle has been a motorized lift. The occupied wheel chair is rolled onto a platform associated with the lift and the lift then moves the platform and chair from the current position to the desired position so that the chair can be rolled off the platform and either into the vehicle or onto the ground. The platform is stowed across the doorway or the platform is defined by the door panel itself.
Ramps are also used with vehicles, some permanently affixed to the vehicle and some portable. One permanently installed access ramp is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,527 to Royce. The invention in Royce modifies the door of the vehicle so that the door is hingeably connected to the floor of the vehicle, and is thus similar to a lift but is stationary when deployed. The door opens outward and downward to rest its top edge on the ground. The door inside wall is a durable material for use as a ramp surface. Where a ramp corresponds in length only to the height of a door, the ramp may define a relatively steep angle when deployed. A great deal of physical effort may be required to propel a wheelchair up such a short, steep ramp.
Ramps similar to Royce's door ramp also are added to vehicles at their doorways, being separate from the door. When stowed, these vehicle access ramps fold up behind the door but thereby block the doorway, making it impossible for another person, whether a wheel chair user or not, to use the door unless the ramp is lowered. An example of such a ramp is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,713 to Rohrs et al. Rohrs shows a vehicle wheelchair ramp mounted on a horizontal hinge axis at the floor of the vehicle and unfolding outwardly from the vehicle. The ramp has two panels hinged at a knuckle, the deployed ramp being about twice as long as the door is high. When not in use, the ramp is folded and stowed vertically in the doorway. This folded-double form of ramp, of course, is that much more of an obstruction across the doorway.
There is a need for a vehicle access ramp which can function in the manner of ramps of the type stowed in doorways, preferably including plural folded panels, but does not block the doorway when stowed. For this purpose the ramp of the invention has alternative pivot axes, namely, a horizontal pivot used to deploy the ramp downwardly to the ground for wheelchair access, and also a vertical pivot which allows the stowed ramp to be swung out of the doorway for providing access to the doorway of the vehicle.